Injuries of the adolescent girl athlete: a review of imaging findings

Imaging of sports injuries in adolescents

Musculoskeletal injuries in adolescents tend to occur in particular locations and have distinct characteristics, as they affect an immature skeleton. Increased engagement in sports, extended training and competition periods, and early specialization in specific sports, among other factors, have contributed significantly to the rise in musculoskeletal sports injuries in adolescents. Furthermore, females show a particularly pronounced increase in sports participation, where anatomical and hormonal factors play crucial roles in the development and increased frequency of sports-related injuries. Consequently, there is a growing demand for diagnostic imaging techniques. Musculoskeletal and pediatric radiologists require a comprehensive understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors and the successive stages of skeletal development that can influence the specific characteristics of sports injuries in adolescents. These aspects are crucial for the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic management of these injuries and for mitigating chronic conditions that could compromise future sports participation. This review analyzes the primary musculoskeletal injuries in adolescent athletes and highlights the pivotal role of different imaging methods in their diagnosis and management.

Comparing Musculoskeletal Injuries across Dance and Gymnastics in Adolescent Females Presenting to Emergency Departments

(1) Background: Studies have yet to identify if there are any differences in musculoskeletal injury patterns between dance and gymnastics. This study aimed to determine if different injury patterns exist in adolescent females participating in those two popular sports. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data collected from patients presenting to U.S. emergency departments participating in the publicly available, de-identified U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) throughout the year 2020. Regression analyses were performed to explore if injury patterns were predictive of gymnastics or dancing participation. (3) Results: 518 adolescent females with dance-related injuries and 597 adolescent females with gymnastics-related injuries in 2020 were examined. Strain/sprains (33.3%) and fractures (37.3%) were the most reported dance- and gymnastics-related diagnoses, respectively. Participants were 74% less likely to have a strain/sprain diagnosis in gymnastics compared to dance (OR = 0.26, 95% CI [0.18, 0.38]) and were 3.84 times more likely to have a fracture diagnosis from gymnastics compared to dance (OR = 3.84, 95% CI [2.67, 5.57]), even after adjusting for body party injured. (4) Conclusions: Dance is associated with more sprains while gymnastics typically resulted in a greater likelihood for fractures.

Imaging of Pediatric Lower Limb Sports Injuries

The importance of physical activity during childhood and adolescence has come to light, with an increase in sports-related acute traumatic and overuse injuries as a major disadvantage. A solid understanding of the physiology of the growing skeleton, together with knowledge about age- and sex-related differences in the occurrence of acute traumatic and overuse injuries is necessary. Every musculoskeletal radiologist should also be familiar with the appearances of these injuries on different imaging modalities. This review focuses on all these aspects concerning acute traumatic and overuse injuries among children and adolescents.